Gillibrand, at Iowa breakfast, says she's all for Hillary 2016

9/6/12 2:25 PM EDT

At the Iowa delegation breakfast this morning — which, as Jonathan Martin and I write on the homepage today, has been the epicenter of 2016 activity this week — New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said she is firmly in Hillary Clinton's corner if the secretary of state decides to run.

"I am going to be the chairperson of Hillary Clinton 2016," she told reporters after speaking to delegates when asked about her own presidential ambitions. "I'm hoping that Secretary Clinton runs. I really want to support her candidacy; I think she'd make a great president."

She said she attended the breakfast — an obligatory stop for all potential 2016-ers — at the request of Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin.

"I really wanted to show my appreciation for Tom, because Tom Harkin has been such a friend and ally. As I mentioned, he made it possible for us to pass the 9/11 health bill by allowing us to have the first hearing ever in 16 years," she said. "And he's asked me to come to a number of Iowa events over the years, and this is the first one that I thought, I could do this; it's easy; it's fun; and I really wanted to express my thanks to him."

The attention she's getting about running for president, though, is "flattering," she said.

"It's incredibly flattering, of course, but we have such talented candidates for 2016, and I'm just hopeful that Hillary decides to run so I can support her," she said.

And asked about New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and his own potential presidential aspirations, Gillibrand praised him and said he'd be a great candidate.

"He's an extraordinary candidate, and he would make a great, great president," she said.